Truly, I tried... but I couldn't get the list down to ten. Even fifteen was a struggle...

Top fifteen children's booksThe Friends of Emily Culpepper - Ann ColeridgeThis is a picture book by Australian author Ann Coleridge... sadly, it's now out of print. The book is funny and surprising with a couple of jokes for the grown-ups. It's definitely one for reading aloud.

Tell Me if the Lovers are the Losers - Cynthia VoigtMy first introduction to Cynthia Voigt was the Homecoming series. This is quite different in style but I love the character development. A couple of changes are predictable but there are a few surprises too.

Danny, the Champion of the World - Roald DahlI'm a big Dahl fan anyway and this is probably my favourite. Danny's father is so wonderful - or as Dahl calls him, 'sparky'.

Carrie's War - Nina BawdenFor some reason I have a fondness for WW2 evacuation stories... no idea why, but in any case this is a great one.

Where the Wild Things Are - Maurice SendakDid you know this book is one of a trilogy? Where The Wild Things Are, In The Night Kitchen and Outside Over There (which was NOT, as many people believe, the inspiration for the movie Labyrinth). Sendak manages to delve into the deepest parts of the mind, but without scarring children for life - no mean feat!

The Narnia series - C. S. LewisWhen I first read these (in completely the wrong order because I was given The Silver Chair as a gift by someone who didn't know it was part of a series) I had no idea they were Christian books. The imagery is obvious to Christians but I don't believe it's that obvious to kids with little knowledge of Christianity. Well, at least until The Last Battle, which contains my favourite scene of all, where the unicorn realises they are finally in the TRUE Narnia, and says the reason they loved the old Narnia was because it sometimes reminded them of this real Narnia... but he realises that this is his real home, the one he's been longing for his whole life without even realising it. Amen!

The Swallows and Amazons series - Arthur RansomeThe whole series is completely alien to me in ways - English kids, camping and sailing, set in the 1940s - and yet totally captivating. A grand adventure story with likable characters, particularly the 'pirate' uncle.

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Joan AikenNeglected orphans, a wicked governess, a cunning and evil plot and an alternate historical timeline... what's not to love?

Horton Hears a Who - Dr SeussLike Mistress Masham's Repose and Mary Norton's Borrowers series, I was fascinated with the idea of a whole world of tiny people, living their own lives in their own little world that's part of ours yet quite separate, and hidden from those who don't open their eyes to look. I've never looked at dandelions the same way since reading this!

The Little White Horse - Elizabeth GoudgeWhat can I say? It's just delightful.

A Sound of Crying - Rodie SudburySudbury wrote a series about the character of Polly. I hated the others but this one is great - the idea of living someone else's life while she dreams was scary yet somehow appealing. It was released under the alternate title of... ummm... I think it was The Voice in the Woods, but don't quote me.

Miss Happiness and Miss Flower - Rumer GoddenOrdinarily I don't care for books about talking dolls but these dolls are lovely, and a good foil to the parallel story of a girl trying to find her place in a strange family.

The Silver Crown - Robert C. O'BrienWhen I went back and re-read this I was astonished that it's much shorter than I remembered. So much seems to happen that I was convinced it's a much longer book. When I was in primary school I must have borrowed this from the library about 20 times. It was out of print for many years but someone finally came to their senses about 6 years ago and reprinted it.

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Random facts about me

• I love God and I strive to be like Jesus. I fail a lot at this, but am happy that God loves me anyway.
• I am turning 40 this year but trying not to have a crisis about that.
• I am constitutionally incapable of opening a packet from the 'wrong' end.
• I read a lot and have been known to flick ahead a few chapters when I'm worried about the fate of one of the characters.
• I paint a little, write a little and knit a little; and I don't mind that my enthusiasm far outweighs my talent.
• I find grammatical and literary jokes hilariously funny. Apparently this makes me a total geek.
• I like meeting new bloggers and will happily visit your blog if you leave a comment.